First Look: Monster Hunter

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Capcom comes clean about its next big thing. New screens included.

By Jeremy Dunham

Unveiled for the first time at the 2003 Electronic Entertainment Expo, Capcom Studio 1's surprise online actioner Monster Hunter almost immediately set our imaginations on fire. Announced for "an unspecified console in 2004", the short teaser video that followed Resident Evil Outbreak's public demo showed its viewers several examples of the expected gameplay. From dramatic battles with huge dragon-like beasts to herds of unidentifiable creatures rushing NPCs, it was obvious from the start that Capcom was going to bank on this one pretty heavily. Once the brief presentation was over and a few surface questions had been answered, however, little mention of Monster Hunter has been made since.

Until today that is -- As Capcom Japan has finally broken its three-month silence and revealed the first solid details behind one of its biggest games of next year. Announced solely for the PlayStation 2, Monster Hunter is as we expected, an online action/RPG that makes use of the broadband adapter exclusively (sorry dial-up users).

Up to four players at once can join forces and head out into the fields in search of creatures to track or hunt, with a straightforward bounty system powering the character's motives. Player guilds, limited experience point systems, item gathering, and a definitive storyline are among the many features that Capcom plans to implement, and you'll even be able to build and defend bases from invading monsters.

The battle system itself will be reminiscent of games like EverQuest and the .hack series; with real-time combat accompanied by occasional turn-based adjustments. Players can attack their foes from both close up and far away, and depending on the number of allies in their party, can alter their kinds of attacks. Whether or not there will be different classes or job skills has yet to be announced, but from the screenshots and movies we've seen so far, it certainly appears that there will be. Gender, hairstyles, clothing, and weaponry types, however, are most definitely configurable.

Easily the most intriguing aspect of Monster Hunter, though, would have to be the behavioral patterns of the creatures themselves. Each and every one of them will act and react independently with certain animals hunting in packs, others traveling independently, and several more actively searching out human protagonists. The artificial intelligence for each of these is said to be very elaborate with every possible activity taken into account. These activities include feeding habits, sleeping patterns, territorial defenses, and so on.

Sadly, any further information has been kept a closely guarded secret. With details concerning the online and offline particulars (yes, you'll be able to play without needing to connect to the net) still being ironed out. With the promise of a living, breathing world, however, and a well-respected and established development team manning its production, it shouldn't be long before Monster Hunter starts to gain momentum. Check out the screenshots we've provided on our media page below and check back with IGN sometime soon for more.